Peanut butter lovers and fudge lovers can come together on November 20 to observe this delicious treat. It’s National Peanut Butter Fudge Day!
- Fudge originated in the United States, possibly by a happy accident. The exact origin is disputed, but most stories claim that the first batch of fudge resulted from a bungled (“fudged”) batch of caramels made on February 14, 1886—hence the name “fudge.”
- One of the first documentations of fudge is found in a letter written by Laura Elizabeth Simmonds, an ex-student at Malmesbury School in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. She wrote that her schoolmate’s cousin made fudge in Baltimore, Maryland in 1886 and sold it for 40 cents a pound. Miss Hartridge got hold of the fudge recipe, and in 1888, made 30 lb (14 kg) of this delicious fudge for the Vassar College Senior Auction. This Vassar fudge recipe became quite popular at the school for years to come.
- In the late 19th century, some shops on Mackinac Island, Michigan, began to produce similar products as the Vassar College fudge and sold it to summer vacationers.
- Georgia is the #1 peanut producing state.
- The most popular American fudge flavor is chocolate.
- The average peanut farm is 100 acres.
- Joseph L. Rosenfield invented a churning process that made smooth peanut butter smooth. In 1928, Rosenfield licensed his invention to the Pond Company, the makers of Peter Pan peanut butter. In 1932, Rosenfield began making his own brand of peanut butter called Skippy which included a crunchy style peanut butter.
- Dr. Ambrose Straub patented a machine which could be used to make peanut butter in 1903.
- Americans consume 700 million pounds of peanut butter annually, about three pounds per person.
- It takes almost 850 peanuts to make an 18 oz. jar of peanut butter.
- The average American child will eat 1,500 peanut butter sandwiches by the time he or she graduates from high school.
- Americans eat about 3 pounds of peanut butter per person each year, totaling about 500 million pounds… enough to cover the floor of the Grand Canyon.
- Two peanut farmers have been elected president of the United States: Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter.
- Nearly half of the U.S. peanut crop is made into peanut butter each year.
- American consumers prefer creamy peanut butter to chunky by a 60% to 40% ratio. Children and women prefer creamy, while most men opt for chunky.
- Although peanut butter is considered to be a kids’ food, adults actually eat more peanut butter than kids each year.
- When making a PB&J sandwich, 96% of people put the peanut butter on before the jelly.
- “Arachibutyrophobia” (pronounced I-RA-KID-BU-TI-RO-PHO-BI-A) is the fear of peanut butter getting stuck to the roof of your mouth.
- By law, any product labeled “peanut butter” in the United States must be at least 90 percent peanuts.
- It takes fewer than 5 gallons of water to produce 1 ounce of peanuts. (Bonus fact: 1 ounce of almonds takes 80 gallons)
- The average peanut farm is 200 acres.
- The Huffington Post (Sept. 2014) asked, “What makes the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Results show: 36% say strawberry jam is favorite (grape is 31%); favorite bread is white bread (54%); favorite type of peanut butter is smooth (56%) and a whopping 80% like their PB & J with the crust left on the sandwich. Discover why the PB&J is the best sandwich ever.
- Two peanut farmers have been elected president of the USA – Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson and Georgia’s Jimmy Carter.
- Astronaut Alan Shepard brought a peanut with him to the moon. Read about making a PB&J on the International Space Station.
- Former President Bill Clinton says one of his favorite sandwiches is peanut butter and banana; also reported to have been the favorite of Elvis “the King” Presley.
- There are six cities in the U.S. named Peanut: Peanut, California; Lower Peanut, Pennsylvania; Upper Peanut, Pennsylvania; Peanut, Pennsylvania, Peanut, Tennessee; and Peanut West Virginia.
- According to Little Brownie Bakers, cookie bakers use about 230,000 pounds of peanut butter per week to bake Girl Scout’s Do-si-dos and Tagalongs. Click here for a peanut butter cookie recipe.
- Women and children prefer creamy peanut butter, while most men opt for chunky. Here‘s a creamy peanut butter smoothie recipe.
- People living on the East Coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while those on the West Coast prefer the crunchy style.
- Boiled peanuts are considered a delicacy in the peanut growing areas of the South. Freshly harvested peanuts are boiled in a brine until they are of a soft bean-like texture.
- Goober—a nickname for peanuts—comes from “nguba”, the Congo language name for peanut.
- The nub between two peanut halves is an embryo. Learn more about how peanuts grow.
- George Washington Carver was known as the “plant doctor” and the “grandfather of peanuts”. Though he did not invent peanut butter, he discovered many ways to use peanuts and innovative farming methods, including crop diversification and soil conservation.
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